Since being in Thailand I have really enjoyed the cultural side of things. Being able to go to temple and enjoy meditation is a huge part of my experience. Learning how to quiet my mind from the noise that so often engulfs my thoughts is the thing that keeps me sane most days. Regardless of the awesomeness of meditation I still like church a lot... and i've missed it since being in Thailand. In the village that i run through on my jogs every morning there is a little church-- it reminds me of the church I went to when I lived in Hawaii. Open air and small and beautiful.
I decided to attend this past Sunday and found that attending church in Thailand is a lot weirder than going to temple. First of all they all stared. STARED when we walked in. Now, I understand, that three american girls walking into a country church in the middle of north thailand is a little strange. But we rarely get those kind of glances in the temple. On a positive note they did have hymnals in english and I did know half of them that we sang... they did sing them at half pace. I want you to understand that many hymns are slow already so cutting down the speed by half is rather painful. The best part was that the church had a band including an electric guitar, a drummer and another stringed thai instrument. The worst part is that none of them were on beat with each other-- it was fun watching them try though.
The music was led by a woman and a woman gave the sermon as well. A man sat up front with them that led the prayer. The message was in thai and speaking little thai I had no idea what they were saying. However, my friend sitting next to me gave me a brief interpretation "If you become a christian your life will be good." So here's the thing-- I really hate when Christians, Buddhists or Muslims or any other religions say that. Quite frankly, I've been a christian for a long time and being one doesn't mean my life is good. In fact, there's been lots of times when my life was crap and quite often it wasn't because of my own choices. So here's the deal-- being a christian or having a God in your life doesn't mean your life will be good. It just means you don't have to do it alone. And that is good enough for me.
Regardless, the people were kind enough and happy. And despite all of my silly complaints it was nice to be in a place where people were attempting to connect with a higher power I'm a familiar with. It was nice to pray there and be with a group of people doing the same. I ran into a few english speakers there as well-- a man who runs a christian preshool in town and some people who work for him as well. Overall it was an experience and I'll probably go back in a few weeks just to see how things change from week to week.
Like a good resident of Thailand-- I hedged my bets and went to my favorite temple after church with Sandee and Divya. The views and silence of the place finished off my sunday with calm understanding. I wasn't looking for a sermon or good music or even the silence of the temple-- I was looking for church. Church is the presence of the community as opposed to a few sung songs and a message. Church is the presence of a people who comprehend and love you. I'll keep looking and I'll keep going. It will come in time.
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